Burton v. State

665 N.E.2d 924, 1996 Ind. App. LEXIS 718, 1996 WL 263431
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 20, 1996
Docket49A02-9512-CR-719
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 665 N.E.2d 924 (Burton v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burton v. State, 665 N.E.2d 924, 1996 Ind. App. LEXIS 718, 1996 WL 263431 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

OPINION

KIRSCH, Judge.

Following a bench trial, Donald Burton was found guilty of stalking, 1 a Class A misdemeanor, invasion of privacy, 2 a Class B misdemeanor, and harassment, 3 a Class B misdemeanor. On appeal, he raises the following issues: }

1. Whether there was sufficient evidence to support Burton's conviction for harassment.
2. Whether the trial court violated the prohibition against double jeopardy by convicting Burton and imposing consecutive sentences for both the stalking and invasion of privacy offenses.

We reverse.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Burton and the victim, Patricia Kirby, were involved in a romantic relationship which ended in October, 1994. Approximately one month later, Burton beat Kirby so severely that fifty-one stitches were needed to close the lacerations to her face. As a result of the beating, Burton was charged with battery as a Class A misdemeanor and criminal recklessness 4 as a Class D felony.

After the attack, Kirby obtained a permanent protective order against Burton which stated that Burton was:

"ORDERED not to contact, abuse, harass, disturb the peace, threaten, molest or injure ... the Petitioner, [Kirby], ... wherever the Petitioner may be found, including but not limited to, the Petitioner's home or place of employment."

Record at 19. The protective order prohibited Burton from coming within 500 feet of Kirby, from visiting Kirby's residence, and from making telephone calls to Kirby.

During the month of January, 1995, Burton made several telephone calls to Kirby and left messages on Kirby's answering machine such as: "Hi whore," "Hi babe. I can't make it without you. Please talk to me. I love you. I can't make it without you," "RED RUM" (which is "murder" spelled backward), "I hope you have the f-ing windows secured," and "I am coming in the morning." Record at 25-27. On January 31, 1995, after having received approximately seven telephone calls or messages within a two and one-half hour time span, and after learning from a neighbor that Burton was seen in Kirby's driveway earlier that day, Kirby became frightened and called the Marion County Sheriff's Department. Deputy Anders responded to the call and witnessed another telephone call made by Burton to Kirby.

On February 2, 1995, Burton was charged with one count each of intimidation, stalking, invasion of privacy, and harassment. On August 15, 1995, Burton pled guilty to battery, and the State dismissed the eriminal recklessness charge. In a bench trial on that same day, the trial judge found Burton guilty of stalking, invasion of privacy, and harassment. The court then ordered the sentences (of 180 days for each of the three offenses) to run consecutively.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

1.

Burton first argues that there was insufficient evidence presented to support his conviction for harassment. Specifically, Burton contends that the State failed to prove that he possessed the requisite intent.

In reviewing claims to the sufficiency of the evidence, we neither reweigh the evidence nor determine the credibility of the witnesses. Crose v. State, 650 N.E.2d 1187, 1191 (Ind.Ct.App.1995). We examine only *926 the evidence most favorable to the State along with all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom. Id. If there exists substantive evidence of probative value to establish every material element of an offense beyond a reasonable doubt, we will not disturb the conviction. Id.

Harassment is defined as follows:

"A person who, with intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person but with no intent of legitimate communication:
(1) makes a telephone call, whether or not a conversation ensues;
commits harassment, a Class B misdemeanor."

IC 35-45-2-2(a). Establishment of the required intent to cause an individual to engage in conduct depends upon the facts and circumstances surrounding the offense. Hyde v. State, 531 N.E.2d 472, 473 (Ind.1988).

Burton relies upon Leuteritz v. State, 534 N.E.2d 265 (Ind.Ct.App.1989) and United States v. Darsey, 342 F.Supp. 311 (E.D.Pa.1972) in support of his argument. In Lew-teritz, the defendant telephoned Debbie and Charles Orr's residence. When Debbie answered the phone, Leuteritz said: "I would like to speak to Diaper Rash Face Charlie." Orr told Leuteritz to stop calling, and Leuteritz hung up. The trial court found Leuteritz guilty of harassment. On appeal, however, Leuteritz asserted that there was insufficient evidence to show that he intended to "harass, annoy, or alarm Debbie, with no intent of legitimate communication." Leuteritz, 534 N.E.2d at 266. We reversed the trial court's decision and held, first, that intent could not be inferred from the subjective perception of the complainant, and second that:

"Leuteritz communicated his desire to speak to Debbie's husband. We can do no more than speculate that, if Leuteritz had been permitted to talk to Charles, there would have been no legitimate communication. The State failed to prove Leuteritz had no intent of legitimate communication. We note that, were we to affirm this conviction, we might be endorsing an unconstitutional application of the statute and erim-inalizing behavior which the legislature did not intend to cover in this statute."

Id. at 266-67.

In Darsey, the court in considering a federal statute, 47 U.S.C. §$ 223(1)(D), which prohibits "repeated telephone calls, during which conversation ensues, solely to harass any person at the called number," expressed the following concerns:

"In many situations, and most especially in romantic and family conflicts, a person may call another repeatedly and the ensuing conversations may be or become more or less unsatisfactory, unpleasant, heated or vulgar. Up to a point these are the normal risks of human intercourse, and are and should be below the cognizance of the law. This Court does not read this section of law to extend to these situations, no matter how much sympathy it might have for one side or the other in such a conflict, unless some completely unjustifiable motive, such as revenge or eruelty, motivates such repeated contacts by interstate telephone calls between those known to each other. Only then can such calls be properly called 'solely to harass." "

Darsey, 342 F.Supp. at 313-14.

Contrary to Leuteritz and Darsey, the evidence adduced at Burton's trial is sufficient to show Burton's intent to harass, annoy or alarm Kirby. After Burton battered Kirby, Kirby obtained a permanent protective order against Burton.

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Bluebook (online)
665 N.E.2d 924, 1996 Ind. App. LEXIS 718, 1996 WL 263431, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burton-v-state-indctapp-1996.